Lake Shidaka, in the hills above the city of Oita is a park where you can stroll on the paths, have a picnic, or just relax and enjoy the peacefulness. The lake is stocked with koi (carp) which you can feed and is fringed by beautiful cosmos.
The train station in downtown Oita.
Here we are visiting with my paternal grandma in Saiki. From left to right: my dad, me, my brother Satoshi, and my grandma.
Unfortunately, my maternal grandma broke her rib a few days before we arrived, so she was in the hospital recuperating. From left to right: my uncle, my cousin Kanako, my grandma, my mom, Satoshi, and my dad. This was also in Saiki.
This is the house in Karyu where my maternal grandma and my aunt and uncle live. Karyu is a small farming town about an hour south of Oita.
After a wonderful dinner prepared by my aunt. From left to right: Kanako, Asuka the dog, my dad, Satoshi, my mom, my uncle, and my aunt.
Asuka, the family dog, is looking sad because everyone is enjoying dinner and he's not allowed to join in.
Satoshi had to fly back up to Tokyo for business, but my parents and I took the train to Kumamoto where we boarded a ferry to the town of Shimabara, in Nagasaki prefecture.
The sun sets over the Unzen Mountains of Shimabara Peninsula, as seen from the ferry from Kumamoto to Shimabara City.
Arriving in Shimabara harbor, we saw the group of islands known as "Ninety Nine Islands" off to our right.
The Japanese garden at Nampuro Hotel, where we stayed in Shimabara.
The main tower of the castle, Shimabara-jo, from where the Tokugawa Shogunate's men mounted their attacks against Christianity. Many thousands of Japanese and foreign Christians were persecuted for their beliefs.
The grounds of Shimabara-jo with statues and smaller towers which surround the main tower.
Honko-ji is a Buddhist temple in Shimabara. The name means "source of light".
From the town of Shimabara on the coast, we took a bus high up into the mountains to the resort town of Unzen (pronounced like "oonzen"), located in Unzen National Park. Unzen is Japan's oldest national park and is characterized by its geothermal activity. One of its newest attractions is the 5 year old mountain, Heiseishin-zan, which was created by the eruption of Mt. Unzen. Another result of the geothermal activity is the abundance of hot springs which all of the hotels in the area tap for use as therapeutic bath water.
My mom and dad strolling amongst the steaming hot springs of Unzen.
Up close and personal with a praying mantis on the lawn outside of our hotel.
Heiseishin-zan, a lava dome created by the eruption of Mt. Unzen in the early 1990's. This mountain is only 5 years old!
I took a short hike from the lookout near Myoken-dake to the summit of Kunimi-dake. This is the view from Kunimi-dake, a 3000 foot peak in the Unzen Mountains.
Buidling 13 in the Narakita apartment complex. This is the building where I used to live in Yokohama.
Shinjuku is one of the main shopping and entertainment districts in Tokyo. It is roughly equivalent to Times Square in New York City, complete with a seedy red-light area similar to 42nd Street.
